Halloween Horrors
by Trebles.and.Tones
Summary: One Step At A Time-verse. Rachel is nine. The first Halloween after Beth joins their small family, Rachel causes all sorts of trouble both by herself and with her best friends Kurt and Quinn. Will Shelby be able to survive this Halloween without losing her mind in the process?
1. Costumes

**AN: This story will be three chapters long and was written for Gleeks09, my 300th reviewer for One Step At A Time, and my go to person when I get stuck when I am writing. She wanted this story, so here it is:) I will be posting chapter two tomorrow and the final chapter on Halloween. I will try to get a chaper of One Step At A Time up soon. Thanks:)**

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**Halloween Horrors  
**  
**Chapter One: Costumes**

"I don't like that one." Nine, nearly ten year old Rachel Corcoran whined to her mother when she was showed a witch costume with a long, pointy hat and green and black tights with a black dress to go over it.

Shelby Corcoran rolled her eyes. Her youngest daughter, eight month old Beth, was sitting in her stroller, thankfully asleep at the moment. Shelby had picked out the little girl's costume nearly an hour before, not that that the baby really cared what she was wearing…as long as it wasn't overalls. Shelby had discovered that one day when she had dressed the infant in the cutest pair of pink overalls. Beth has screamed for over an hour before Shelby realized that she didn't like being in the overalls and Shelby had taken them off of her.

Shelby felt like her time in the Halloween store was never going to end. The only place that they hadn't yet looked was Target. They were apparently going to have to head there soon because nothing Shelby held up pacified the short little girl who was only worried about finding what she deemed the 'perfect' Halloween costume. Shelby was only slightly worried because the child would not tell her what they were looking for.

"Rachel, maybe if you tell me what costume you want…" Shelby trailed off when Rachel glared at her.

"I will know it when I see it."

Why had she waited only a week before Halloween to take Rachel shopping for a costume? She knew that neither Quinn nor Kurt had their costumes yet either, and she was suspicious about that fact. She figured that Rachel had something to do with it. Rachel was always in the middle of something.

"It isn't here! We have to go look somewhere else!" Rachel stomped her little foot against the floor and huffed at her mother.

Shelby sent her a glare. She and Rachel seemed to go through a similar scenario every year since Rachel had been six and wanted to be a fairy. Not just any fairy though, she had wanted to be Fawn from the Tinkerbell movies. Shelby, in the end, had had to sew the stupid costume through many tears and tantrums on Rachel's part. Shelby had been beyond frustrated that year.

"Rachel, we can go home and you can forget about me taking you, Quinn, and Kurt trick or treating." Shelby said. Oh, there it was. The pout. The sad eyes.

"No. Please, Mommy. I have to find my costume and I have to go trick or treating!"

"Then you need to behave. Understand?"

The little girl nodded. She knew not to push her mom on this one. She would end up without a costume and stuck at home on Halloween if she did.

"I have to pay for Sis's costume first, then we need to get something to eat before we go to Target to see if they have the costume you want. That is the last place we are going, so you are going to have to find something there if you want to dress up this year."

"Why are you dressing her up like a dumb ole' caterpillar? She is going to look dumb." Rachel said looking at the green and purple costume her mother was buying for her little sister. It even had antennas. To Rachel it was just stupid. Who wanted to be a bug or worm for Halloween? Of course, Rachel had seen pictures. Her mommy had dressed her up as a Toto for her first Halloween and her mommy had been Dorothy. That wasn't nearly as dumb as a caterpillar.

This was the first Halloween that it hadn't been just Shelby and Rachel shopping for a costume. In many ways, Rachel was still getting over the fact that she was sharing her mother with someone twenty-four seven. Shelby had talked to Rachel at length before she adopted Beth. And while she had not let Rachel make the decision about whether or not she was going to adopt the infant, she had let Rachel express her feelings about the topic. Rachel had been excited. Rachel loved having a sibling.

Yet, there was still some jealousy for Rachel. Shelby tried to spend one on one time specifically with Rachel throughout the week, but sometimes it was not easy because they were so busy. She was thinking very seriously about no longer working at Caramel and running the show choir there anymore. She would have a lot more time for the girls if she didn't have to worry about after school practices and competitions any longer.

"I think she looks cute in the costume. Be nice. Besides, Beth doesn't care. She is not even a year old."

"One day she is going to look at pictures and be furious."

Shelby just rolled her eyes and guided her dramatic daughter to the checkout line.

-HalloweenHorrors-

They were finally in Target. Shelby had had to fix Beth a bottle before they entered the store, much to the dislike of Rachel, because Beth hadn't wanted it while they ate lunch. She had changed her mind right before they were getting out of the car. Now, however, they were finally heading into the last store they were going into today. Shelby absolutely refused to head into another store to look at Halloween costumes and she had told Rachel as much.

"Oh! Mommy! There it is!" Rachel said, darting and weaving in between about fifteen other mother's who looked about like Shelby felt trying to get their children to pick out a Halloween costume. There were so many people down the aisle that she could even get the stroller with Beth in it down there. So, she waited for Rachel to bring the costume to her.

And bring it she did. Shelby looked down at the costume her child had in her hands in horror, the entire time Rachel looked up at her with a smile.

"Are you serious?" Shelby asked as she took the costume from Rachel to have a close look.

She nearly died when her child nodded her head in the affirmative.

It was a school girl costume. A naughty school girl costume to be correct. Shelby hadn't even known that they made such an outfit in a size girls seven/eight, which was the size Rachel needed.

It was a white shirt that stopped several inches above the belly button and tied in the front, a red, plaid tie, with a matching, short, plaid skirt. And white knee socks. She was positive that the tiny skirt would not even cover Rachel's little tush. It was highly inappropriate. On so many levels.

Her child wanted to be a naughty school girl. What in the holy hells was her child even thinking? How had she come up with this idea? When had Shelby made Rachel think that this type of outfit was okay?

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see one of the mothers look at her curiously. Apparently, she held a similar costume in her hands that her own daughter, a girl who looked about twelve or so, wanted to wear.

"Absolutely not, Rachel Barbra. You are not getting this costume." Shelby said, handing the costume back to Rachel so it could be put back on the shelf.

The smile on Rachel's face immediately faded. It was replaced with one of angry defiance.

"Yes I am! You said I could be whatever I wanted, and this is it! I saw the costume on a commercial and it is what I want to be!" Rachel all but yelled at her mother.

Shelby took the costume that Rachel now had clutched in her hands and pried it from her. She placed it on a nearby shelf and then turned back towards her daughter.

"Rachel, I would advise you to pick another costume, else you will not get one at all. I told you that you could be whatever you wanted within reason. This is not within reason. Stop your whining. This is ridiculous!" Shelby hissed. Beth started to fuss at that moment, her bottle empty and her need for her pacifier was intense. She didn't care what was going on as long as she had her pacifier so that she could go back to sleep.

Shelby stuck her hand down the side of Beth's carseat that was attached to the top of the stroller and found the pacifier and stuck it in the little girl's mouth.

"You are being completely unreasonable!" Rachel yelled. She then turned around to storm off. Anything to be away from her mother at this moment when the woman refused to see reason.

Shelby stood in shook for several moments as she watched her child stomp off away from her. Something the nine year knew she was most certainly not supposed to do whether they were at home or in public, but especially in public where someone could easily snatch her up.

Shelby looked up at the other mother who was now also sticking to her guns and not letting her daughter have the costume. Her daughter was taking the information much better than Rachel was though, and that was not lessening Shelby's anger at her petite nine year old.

Shelby sighed and with one hand pushed the stroller so that she could catch up to her belligerent daughter.

Then, with her free hand she grabbed Rachel's arm as the little girl tried to continue her storm off.

Rachel's reaction was not what Shelby expected. It had been a long time since Rachel had thrown a temper tantrum in public, so she was shocked when Rachel first let her body go slack, loosening Shelby's grip as she fell to the floor, and then yelled at Shelby.

"You are being so unfair! I don't know how you can be unfair! You said that we would get the costume that I wanted and you lied! You are such a mean Mom!"

Shelby stared at her daughter. This was a good tantrum, even for her. Rachel knew that Shelby did not ever give into tantrums, ever, so Shelby wasn't quite sure why she was trying to get her way by throwing one now.

Shelby also refused to be embarrassed. In her view, it was Rachel who should be embarrassed by her actions and it was Rachel who was about to be disciplined for them.

"We are going to the bathroom." Shelby said, leaning down to her daughter and looping her arm around her waist, hoisting her up so that she was firmly under her right arm, the stroller at her left hand.

"I don't care! I ain't afraid of you! You are being stupid!" Rachel yelled as she kicked her legs in an attempt to get out from under her mother's arm.

Shelby held her glare and made her way to the back of the store where she knew there was a single, family bathroom that would accommodate both of them plus Beth and the stroller. Plus it would give her the privacy that she needed to do what needed to be done. Some of the mothers in the Halloween aisle sent her sympathetic glances. They had all been there, so it was nothing new. It came with motherhood.

Shelby was thankful that the bathroom was close because Rachel was fighting her the entire way. Shelby refused to swat the girl until they were in that bathroom though. Rachel was just making it worse on herself when they finally got down to it.

Finally, though, finally, they were in the bathroom. Shelby opened the door and maneuvered everyone inside and then quickly looked the door behind her.

Shelby quickly made sure the bathroom was clean, and then sat on the toilet seat, moving Rachel so that the girl was lying over her lap.

The first swat shocked Rachel. She had been so into her tantrum that she had not even really realized what was going on.

The third swat made her realize that maybe, just maybe, throwing a fit in the middle of Target had not been such a good idea.

By the ninth, Rachel was just glad that it was the ninth and final…only her mommy didn't stop at the ninth swat, completely breaking the one swat per year rule. Rachel thought that that was completely unfair.

'I am sorry! Mommy, I am sorry. I am sorry that I was bad!" Rachel cried. This spanking was not fun and she was truly sorry now.

At swat twelve, Rachel was stood up in front of her mother. Shelby looked at her little girl and bit back her need to cuddle with her. She needed to talk to her first before she comforted her so that Rachel understood that what she had done was inexcusable.

"Rachel, that was unacceptable. That costume was inappropriate, and I am not about to let you go anywhere dressed like that, ever. Not now, not in ten years. Once I told you 'no', you should have said okay and then went and tried to pick a different costume. Rachel, you are nearly ten. You are too old to be acting this way in public. Do you understand?"

Rachel sniffed and stepped further in between her mother's legs so that she could hold onto her mommy's shirt.

She nodded as tears fell down her little cheeks.

"I am sorry. Can I please pick out another costume? If you say no to it, I won't be bad. I promise." Rachel said, fiddling with the edge of the shirt in her hands.

"I don't know, Rachel. Do you think you deserve to go trick or treating after your behavior?" Shelby asked her, trying to impress on her what could happen because of her bad behavior.

"I will listen to you and be really good, Mommy. I am sorry." Rachel teared up again. She had to go trick or treating! She just had too!

"I will give you one more chance. You tell me, right now, what you might want to be, and we can go get that costume. But if you are not on your best behavior between now and Halloween, you will not be going trick or treating. You will stay at home. Understand?"

Rachel nodded tearfully and said, "Yes, ma'am. I promise I will be good."

"Good girl. Come here." Shelby said, and Rachel threw her arms around her mother. That was what she wanted. The hug at the end told her that everything was okay now.

"Do you know what you might want to be?"

"Spongebob." Rachel sniffed. Shelby smiled.

"That is a much better idea, baby girl. We will see if we can find you a SpongeBob costume."

Much better indeed.


	2. Trick or Treating

**Chapter Two: Trick Or Treating**

"But, Mommy, why does Beth and Elijah have to come? Why can't she stay with Aunt Judy? Or why can't Aunt Leah take them both by herself? They are babies." Rachel whined. Shelby was starting to hate Halloween with a passion. She was wondering why she had told the kids that she would take all three of them. She had no idea. Normally it was just her and Rachel for the first half of the night, and then Kurt and Burt would join them the second part of the night.

This was the first year that the three kids had gone together the entire night, and Shelby was the one taking them and she had invited her sister to take five year old Elijah with them just in case she needed the back up…because Rachel, Kurt, and Quinn had an odd way of finding trouble.

"Neither Beth nor Elijah are going to bother you. She will be in her stroller, in her costume, so that she can see everyone walking around in their costumes and Elijah will be holding Aunt Leah's hand."

Rachel stuck her lip out. Quinn and Kurt were upstairs in Rachel's room getting ready. Rachel already had her SpongeBob costume on, and Shelby had to admit the pouting little SpongeBob was definitely adorable. Not that she would tell Rachel that. Rachel had been on pretty good behavior since her spanking at Target. She had gone to bed early that night and the next morning had been right as rain. She had even apologized again for her behavior, which was unusual, as Rachel knew that once punished, she was forgiven for her misdeeds and had nothing left to be sorry for. Shelby had simply told her that it was all over now, and then she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Somehow, though Shelby had no idea how she had managed it, Rachel had talked Kurt into being Patrick, the stupid starfish from SpongeBob. She had tried to talk Quinn into being Sandy, but Quinn had refused.

Instead, Quinn wanted to be Squidward. It had taken some doing on Judy and Shelby's part, but they had finally managed to create three costumes that looked quite good for being made in a week because Shelby had not been able to find any such costumes at Target, but she had not wanted Rachel to be disappointed so she and Judy had taken over the task. Shelby suspected that Rachel had wanted to be SpongeBob to begin with, but had not wanted to seem like a little kid in front of her friends. Rachel had probably been very persuasive to get Quinn and Kurt to dress as two other characters from the show.

Thank goodness for Judy because Shelby knew that there was no way that she would have been able to finish three costumes in a week, and they all knew that Burt was not capable of sewing on a button, let alone anything else. Judy and Shelby were still bonding over their strange circumstances, but sewing together, if anything, had brought the two closer.

"But, Mommy, they are babies! I don't want them to go." Rachel whined, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

Shelby looked down at her daughter.

"Okay."

Rachel's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes. But if Beth and Elijah don't go, then neither may you."

Rachel gave an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. I am going to see if Quinn and Kurt are ready. I want to go trick or treating." Rachel said and then turned and ran up towards the stairs.

"Walk, Rachel."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she walked up the stairs and into her room where Kurt and Quinn were.

"Guys! We look so cool!" Rachel squealed. She had still been a bit upset that her mommy hadn't let her be the school girl, but she had known better than to say anything else because she did not want another spanking. That spanking in the bathroom had really, really hurt. It had been the worst one ever.

"Did you guys hide your stash outside?" Rachel asked.

Both of the other kids looked at her and smiled.

"I hid mine." Kurt said.

"Me too. I am so excited about it. When are we going to do it? The older kids at school said that the tricking is even better than the treating and if we want to keep the warlock's powers inside his house, then the eggs are the best!" Quinn said.

"Yea. I can't wait either. I think that we should go when my mommy takes Beth upstairs to get ready for bed. That always takes about an hour, and she said that we could stay up and watch movies after we go trick or treating since it is Friday, but that she is taking all of our candy and is hiding it. We can go and be back before she ever even knows it! It will be perfect! We can probably even take a bag and get a few more pieces of candy!" Rachel said.

All three children had devious little looks on their faces. Had Shelby walked in at that moment, she would have known that something was up. But, since she didn't, the three kids were safe. Safe to do what they had been planning for weeks.

**-HalloweenHorrors-**

"We are only going to the end of this street, then we are going back home. We have gone four blocks. You guys can barely fit anything else in your bags, and you will never be able to eat it all." Shelby told the kids walking in front of her. They had finally started trick or treating after Shelby had taken about a million pictures of them. She had taken individuals, ones of all three older kids, and then pictures of Beth and Rachel. She had even had Quinn take a picture of her and Rachel and Beth, much to Rachel's chagrin. Then Leah had finally arrived, so she had Leah take one of her with all of the kids, and then took pictures of Leah with Elijah, who was a green dinosaur, and then pictures of Leah with the girls, and then pictures of all the kids together. Shelby liked having pictures to document her children's lives.

She didn't mention that she would never let Rachel eat all of that candy even over an extended period of time. She planned on taking at least half of it, if not more, to Caramel and letting her students eat on it during breaks. Rachel didn't need to know that, but she sure was not going to let her already hyper child eat all of that candy. It was hard enough keeping up with Rachel sometimes. She always mysteriously did something to at least half of the candy, and Rachel had never mentioned it, but Shelby knew that eventually the girl would probably figure it out. Shelby was okay with that though. She was still getting her kid to sleep at night. A sugar rush would not allow that to happen.

It had been tough keeping the kids rounded up. Thankfully, Shelby had not seen any other SpongeBob, Patrick, or Squidward's. Because her kiddos kept running off in excitement every two or three minutes, Elijah would somehow get loose from Leah and he would be running after them. Shelby and Leah were exhausted trying to keep up with them.

"Okay, Mommy!" Rachel said, taking off at a run when they came to another walkway to a home where the porch light was brightly lit.

Shelby sighed. She was not doing this next year. Judy and Russ or Burt could take them. Or Leah. Shelby looked over at her sister and smiled.

"I think you can take them all by yourself next year, LeeLee." Shelby said teasingly.

Leah's eyebrows rose.

"It is hard enough trying to keep up with Elijah running after Rachel every two minutes. I'd probably lose them all for sure. I am not used to refereeing more than Rachel and Elijah at one time yet. Remember what happened last year when I took them to the Pumpkin Patch." Leah said with a grimace.

Oh yes. The Pumpkin Patch. Rachel still deemed the one and only spanking she had ever really gotten from Leah to be the worst one ever in the history of the entire world. Rachel had run out in the middle of the street and had almost been hit by a car. Leah, Elijah's hand in hers and scared to death, had not taken the time to find a bathroom to take Rachel into, but had sat on a square hay bale that was sort of out of the way and had spanked her right there. Then Leah had made Rachel tell Shelby about running out in the street and Shelby had stood her in the corner. Rachel had covered her rear end the entire time that she was in the corner because she had just known that her mommy was going to swat her. Shelby had been upset, but her antics in the corner had lightened the mood. Her daughter did not realize it, but she would never swat her after she had already been spanked unless she was in trouble for something completely different, and even that would be hard for Shelby to do.

"Ah, yes. The street incident. That was completely Rachel's fault though."

"Well, she nearly gave me a heart attack when she ran out and I heard tires squeal and something hard hit the ground and bust. I just knew it was her head until I saw the stupid pumpkin that she had been running around with splattered all over the ground. I was all I could do not to throw up at the thought that it could have been her head instead of her pumpkin."

Leah visibly shook. Shelby rubbed her arm to comfort her older sister. Shelby had never seen Leah as she had that day when she was telling Shelby about what had happened, a sobbing Rachel at her side. After Rachel had been sent to the corner, Leah had burst into tears because she had been so afraid and the adrenaline had finally left her. That, more than anything, let Shelby know just how close Rachel had been to being seriously hurt. Leah never cried.

"Come on, big Sister. Let's go round these kids up." Shelby said with a smile as she watched Elijah waddle down the street in his costume trying to keep up with the big kids.

Thirty minutes later, they were at the house. The kids were still in their costumes sitting in front of the television. They each had three pieces of candy, and then Shelby had taken their bags from them and put them in her room on the top shelf of her closet. She was not dumb. She knew the minute that she took Beth upstairs to get ready for bed that those kids would get into their candy if she didn't hide it. Leah and Elijah had headed home because Elijah was about to fall asleep and he still needed a bath before bed.

"Kids, I am going to give Beth a bath and then get her ready for bed. I will be upstairs if you need anything." Shelby told them, picking up her little caterpillar from the stroller that she was still sitting in, though her head was definitely drooping to the side. Beth had refused to sleep while she had been in the stroller and able to watch everything and everyone around her. It was well over an hour past her bedtime.

"Okay, Mommy." Rachel said, never removing her eyes from the television. Her mommy didn't often let her watch lots of TV like she was going to let her, Quinn, and Kurt tonight. Something about it sucking out brain cells and washing your brain. Rachel didn't really know, but she figured that her mom decided it was finally time for her brain to be washed again. Despite her excitement about watching television, though, she and her friends had other, more important plans.

The minute that Shelby disappeared upstairs, Rachel looked at her partners in crime and smiled.

"Let's go!"

Rachel looked up for a moment and thought.

"Wait, let me go get one more thing!" Within minutes, she was back with a brand new plastic package of toilet paper and a couple of loose rolls that were falling out of her hands.

"Let's go!"

And like that, they were sneaking quietly out the door.

**-HalloweenHorrors-**

"That is awesome!" Rachel squealed as she let the egg in her hand splat against the outside interior of the house in front of them.

Every kid knew that Mr. Warner, who lived two streets over from Rachel, was a warlock. The big kids had been telling the little kids that for years. This year, Rachel, Quinn, and Kurt were big kids and they got to help protect the neighborhood. Tales of the man had scared them for as long as they could remember. Most of the times, they wouldn't dare walk by his home in case the previous year's force field didn't hold up.

By throwing eggs and toilet paper at his house because it would keep all of his magic sealed in for another year. And, the man never gave candy because he hated kids.

"Good job, kid!" an older boy, probably about fourteen or fifteen said to Rachel.

Rachel smiled. Even the really big kids were out here.

"Quinnie, here." Rachel handed her two rolls of toilet paper.

Quinn took the paper and started unrolling it around the bushes at the front of the yard.

Kurt was just throwing eggs, one right after another, at various places at the house.

"Magic will never be able to get through this force field!" Kurt said, chunking another egg.

**-HalloweenHorrors-**

Shelby had just laid Beth down in her crib and was cleaning up the mess in the bathroom when she realized that the there was only a little bit of toilet paper on the roll. She went out into the hallway closet and opened it so that she could grab another roll to put in the bathroom.

But the package of toilet paper was not there. That was odd. She had just bought a package with 24 rolls of toilet paper in it two days before and she hadn't opened it yet.

She shook her head and went to Rachel's bathroom. Sometimes Rachel would grab the entire package and drag it into her bathroom.

Shelby went in there and looked. No toilet paper. There wasn't even any on the roll in there. Shelby sighed. Something was up.

Shelby started walking down the stairs. Rachel had probably done something with the toilet paper and then not thought anything else about it.

As Shelby walked down the stairs, she looked at the television that was on, but saw no children.

"Rachel?" She called out. The doorbell rang at that time. It was kind of late for trick or treaters and her porch light wasn't on.

Shelby went to the door and opened it.

"Hi, mommy." Rachel tried to makes the comment sound light and sweet, but she wasn't quite sure it worked.

Standing in front of Shelby was a cop. In front of the cop were three children. Her three.

"Ma'am? Do these belong to you?" The officer asked.

"Yes." Shelby said tightly, trying to figure out why her three were outside to begin with.

"Well ma'am, there was an incident about two streets over. A bunch of kids were egging and toilet papering a man's home…"

The children sunk back into the cop when those words left his mouth because Shelby suddenly became scary. Very, very scary. The look on her face was terrifying. They'd rather go to jail. They would much rather be back with the warlock…anything was better than facing the mom turned monster that was now in front of them.

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**AN: Uh Oh. What have the three mischief makers gotten themselves into now? **

**I am working on a chapter of One Step now, so it should be up tonight sometime:)**


	3. The Day After

**Chapter Three: The Day After**

Three corners were full in Shelby Corcoran's living room. She was not a happy camper. In fact, to put it bluntly, she was pissed. She had talked to the police officer for about five minutes and told him that her three would be at the elderly man's home in the morning to clean up. He had said that it wasn't necessary, as some of the older kids would be there, but Shelby had stood her ground. Her kids had helped make that mess, she'd be damned if they were not going to help clean it up.

She had sent the kids to the corner before even finishing the talk with the police officer. Rachel had even had the nerve to ask why, earning her a glare and a swat from her mother, and a chuckle from the police officer. He had been rounding up heathen kids all night and nine times out of ten, the parents just told them not to do whatever they had been doing wrong. Here it looked like the kids would actually have some consequences.

Good for this woman, was all he could think. Maybe these kids would have a chance in the world.

As he was telling Shelby bye and walking out the door, the small kid, the one dressed like SpongeBob, turned and ran towards him.

"Please take me to jail with you! Don't leave me with my Mommy. I don't want a spanking! She is going to roast me!" She had said, lunging towards him. Rachel knew that she was safer with this man if she wanted to sit anytime soon.

The police officer knelt down so that he could be eye level with the little girl.

"Kid, you are much safer here with your mom than anywhere else in the world. It is obvious that your mom loves you. You did wrong tonight. That old man whose house you egged tonight doesn't have any family, and every year when kids egg his house, he gets really sad. You hurt his feelings tonight, and your mom is going to make sure that you understand that."

The man stood up, nodded towards Shelby, and then left the house so that he could go back to patrolling the neighborhood.

Shelby pulled Rachel out of the doorway and then closed the door. She looked down at her little trouble maker and merely pointed at the corner she had vacated.

Rachel sighed, shoulders slumped, and trudged back over to the corner. Kurt had turned around only momentarily to see what was going on, and Quinn was standing as stiff as a board in her corner.

It would be the first time that Shelby had ever had to discipline Quinn. Normally, Quinn thought things through, but even so, Shelby had only been a part of the little girl's life in this fashion for about five months.

She had known that she would probably have to scold her at some point…Judy had already had to get Rachel…but the first time was always the worst.

And, Rachel seemed to gravitate towards trouble. Quinn was not like that.

"I am going to speak to all of you right now. I will ask questions and you will answer them. However, you will not turn around. You will remain in your corners. Rachel…"

"Yes, Mommy?" Rachel asked, sniffing. Shelby rolled her eyes. That child was not crying. She was dramatic to the end.

"What happened to the toilet paper in the house?"

Rachel swallowed.

"I...I took it with us."

"So you left this house with the premeditated plan to go over to Mr. Warner's home and throw toilet paper and eggs at his home?" Shelby asked.

Rachel was not really sure what 'premeditated' meant, but they did know where they were going when they snuck out of the house.

"Yes?"

"That sounds like a question to me, Rachel Barbra Corcoran. Kurt. How long have you known about this plan?"

Whew. Auntie Shel was going right for the tough questions.

"Um. Since at least a week ago."

Shelby closed her eyes. They had had this planned for over a week? That was a bit much even for them.

"Quinn. How did you get the eggs?"

"I am sorry, Aunt Shel." Quinn said through her sniffles. She was actually crying though. Shelby's heart melted a little. That was the first time Quinn had called her Aunt Shel.

Normally, she would take punishments upstairs, away from the other kids. But this time, they had gotten into mischief together so they would be punished together.

"Quinn, come here." Shelby said. She, Russ, and Judy had talked about this after Rachel had gotten into trouble for the first time with Judy. Shelby had, to the surprise of Judy, told her to punish Rachel as she would Quinn in the same situation. Afterwards, Judy had told Shelby that she could always do the same to Quinn in such a situation.

Shelby had thought a situation would never come because Quinn was so well behaved. Apparently Rachel and Kurt were corrupting her.

Quinn turned and walked to Shelby, her head down and tears dripping down her cheeks. Her tentacles her now hanging limply because of all the Halloween fun and even they seemed to realize the spanking that awaited the little girl.

Shelby held Quinn between her legs and lifted her chin up with her hands.

"How did you get the eggs?"

Quinn sniffed.

"Me and Kurt took them from home and hid them in our bags and then outside when we got here."

Shelby nodded. She had expected as much.

"Okay, Quinnie. You are fixing to get a spanking. Fifteen swats…" Shelby heard Rachel hiss. That is right, baby girl, no mere nine swats for you tonight, Shelby thought. She wanted this fair, and therefore could not go by years since Rachel was nine and the other two were ten. And, she was pretty sure that Rachel had been the ringleader. She usually was. They threw eggs at someone's home, did the same with toilet paper, and snuck out. Five swats for each infraction, "….five swats for stealing, five swats for sneaking out of the house, and five swats for destroying property. Do you understand?"

Quinn nodded tearfully.

"Okay, let's get this over with."

With that, Shelby pulled Quinn over her lap and doled out fifteen smart smacks to her backside, the whole while Quinn sobbed. By the time that Shelby was finished, the little girl was very sorry indeed.

Shelby lifted Quinn up and wrapped her arms around her. Quinn responded by wrapping her arms around Shelby's neck and whispering in her ear, "I am sorry, Aunt Shel. I promise that I won't ever do anything like that again."

Shelby rocked her for a few seconds and nodded.

"Why don't you go upstairs to your room and start getting ready for bed, Sweetheart."

"My room?" Quinn asked. Kurt had a room here, in the attic, a pretty cool one too, but Aunt Shel had known Kurt for a long time.

"Yes, sweetheart, I think that it is time we start calling the room you sleep in yours, don't you? We will have to get it just the way that you like it." Shelby said.

Quinn smiled and hugged Shelby again.

"Okay, girlie. Get on upstairs."

Quinn nodded and turned and walked on upstairs, rubbing her backside as she went.

"Kurt, come here."

She heard Rachel sigh again. Shelby did her best not to smile. That is right, baby girl, I am saving you until last, Shelby thought as she gently pulled Kurt between her legs as she had done Quinn not moment before.

"Kurt." Shelby said. It was the only thing she said. She knew her kiddos and knew how to get them to spill all. Kurt was the easiest.

"The big kids told us that we had to protect Lima by throwing toilet paper and eggs at the warlock's house to create a force field. They told us this year that we were finally old enough to join them. I am sorry, Auntie Shel. The police officer told us that he isn't a warlock, but I am not sure anyone really believes the police about it."

Yep. Kurt did exactly as she thought he would. He would give away national secrets if he knew them all by his Auntie Shel giving him the 'look' and saying his name. It worked every time.

"Do you know why you are getting this spanking?" Shelby asked him.

Kurt took a deep breath and then let it out.

"Yea, I know." He knew better than fight against it anyways.

Soon, Shelby had a well chastised little boy in her lap as he tried to stop crying and she rubbed his back. He leaned up and kissed Shelby's cheek and whispered in her ear, "I am sorry. I won't do it anymore. I will even try to talk Rach out of talking us into it." Shelby stifled her laughter. Kurt had just told her what she had already figured out and the poor kid didn't even realize it.

"Okay, Kurt. Why don't you head on up to your room and get ready for bed. It is going to be a long day tomorrow."

The little boy nodded and then headed up the steps just as Quinn had, rubbing his behind and all.

Shelby sighed as she watched Rachel fidget in the corner. She didn't normally make her stand in the corner this long, but tonight had been different. Shelby got up and went behind Rachel and stood behind her. Rachel instantly stilled.

"Are you going to spank me now?" Rachel asked sorrowfully.

"What do you think?"

"I think that you probably are and nothing I can do is going to change your mind."

"Why do you think that I should change my mind after I just got finished spanking both Quinn and Kurt for the same misdeeds?" Shelby really wanted to hear this.

"I had to stand in the corner longer than they did."

"They got spanked sooner than you did."

"You are going to make us clean up tomorrow at the warlock's house."

"Yes you are. His name is Mr. Warner. How does it make you feel to know that you hurt his feelings tonight? That he is sad because he has no family and now the entire neighborhood has to see his front yard look horrible?"

"He should be nicer." Rachel said.

"Rachel Corcoran! You have never met him!"

"So what! Everyone says that he is a warlock!" Rachel huffed. Shelby could see that they were getting nowhere, so she gently took Rachel's arm and guided her to the couch.

"Rachel, do you understand why you are getting this spanking?"

"Yea, cause you are being mean! You don't understand about warlocks cause you are old and dumb about things like that!"

Shelby rolled her eyes and then in one swoop pulled Rachel's pants and panties to her knees and then pulled her over her lap.

"This isn't fair! You didn't spank Kurt and Quinn without their pants!" Rachel shouted. She knew what a spanking over clothes and what a spanking without clothes sounded like having been the receiver of many, many spankings (it felt that way to her, anyways) in her short nine years.

"They didn't resort to name calling to try and get out of their spankings, either. Now, why are you getting this spanking, Rachel?" Shelby asked as she brought her hand down once on Rachel's bare behind. Rachel screeched.

"Ugh! Because I snuck out and egged and toilet papered the warl…um Mr. Warlock's house!"

"Much better answer. His name is Mr. _Warner_, though. You need to learn his name before you meet him tomorrow and clean up his yard."

With that, Shelby dealt out fourteen more smacks, of which had Rachel bawling by the time Shelby pulled her up into her arms.

"Baby girl, why are you always the ringleader in these situations?" Shelby asked as she wiped away Rachel's tears with the end of her long sleeved shirt and then kissed her head.

"I don't know. It seemed like a good idea when the big kids were talking about it." Rachel cried.

"Next time, ask me if it is a good idea. You won't get in trouble for asking."

"Okay, Mommy." Rachel sniffed. Shelby rubbed her back for a few more moments and then stood her up because she could tell that Rachel was about to fall asleep.

"Go on up to your room and get ready for bed while I check on Kurt, Quinn, and Beth. Then I will be in to tuck you in."

"Okay Mommy. Are you still mad at me?"

Shelby smiled.

"No, baby girl. I am not mad. You better not ever get brought home by the cops again, though, or you really will be sorry." Shelby warned.

Rachel smiled a little smile and nodded.

"Okay."

"Now, up the stairs." Shelby said, walking up with Rachel as she, just as the two previous children had, rubbed her sore behind.

Shelby just shook her head. She was boycotting Halloween next year.

Before she went up stairs, she grabbed her phone and dialed Judy's cellphone.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Judy. I need a huge favor…could you bring over a couple of rolls of toilet paper?"

"…_what?"_ Judy asked. That was an odd request to her.

"I will explain when you get here." Shelby said with a laugh. She knew that Judy would bring it, and since she couldn't leave the house because of the kids, someone had to bring her some toilet paper. Rachel went through the stuff like it was going out of fashion and they only had half a roll in the house.

Thirty minutes later, Shelby had peeked in at the kids and had told them that when she came back up in twenty minutes that they needed to be in bed and she would tuck them in. She couldn't at that time because the door bell had rang.

Shelby opened the door and smiled at Judy, who was holding a package of toilet paper under her arm.

"Are you going to tell me why I had to bring you toilet paper at ten at night?" Judy said, trying not to laugh at the odd request.

Shelby did laugh.

"I will give you three guesses. It includes our children and a warlock." Shelby said with a raised eyebrow.

Judy's eyes grew wide.

"They didn't!" Judy said. She knew all about the 'warlock' but had thought kids had finally stopped toilet papering the man's house.

"They did. They were brought home by the police. They have had it planned for over a week. You are also missing eggs at your house." Shelby explained.

Judy sat on the edge of the couch and put her head in her hands.

"I am sorry, Shelby. I will talk to Quinn…she knows better."

"Judy, I handled it. All three kid were given fifteen swats. Kurt and Quinn over their costumes. Out little mastermind was given hers bare. She didn't know when to just admit defeat."

Judy laughed. That didn't surprise her. Not in the least.

"Do you mind if I go and tell Quinn goodnight then? She will worry that she is going to be in more trouble with her father and me, but I would rather she know that she won't be since this is the first time she has gotten in trouble with you."

Shelby smiled, "Of course, Judy. I will tuck the other two in and you go talk to your baby. She is in the room she always sleeps in."

Judy smiled but got up and walked up the stairs and into Shelby's guest room. Quinn was lying on her stomach, her stuffed animal, a kangaroo, under her arm. She always had a stuffed animal with her. The kangaroo was the one she left at Shelby's house.

"Hey, baby, I heard you had an adventure tonight." Judy spoke softly, sitting on the side of the bed and patting Quinn's behind as she did.

"Mama, don't touch my butt! Please…" Quinn said. Aunt Shelby had ignited a small flame there, and it didn't need any help from her mother.

Suddenly, Quinn realized that her mother was there and wasn't supposed to be.

"Mama, I am so-sss-sorry. I won't ever do it again. Please don't spank me again." Quinn cried.

Judy picked up her daughter and set her sideways on her lap, her little behind sticking out so as not to touch anything that would cause it to hurt.

"I am not going to, baby. I had to bring Aunt Shel some toilet paper and wanted to tell you goodnight, and that you are not in trouble anymore. Aunt Shel punished you and you were forgiven. You will help clean up tomorrow and then you will be clean."

"Thank you, Mama." Quinn said, snuggling into her mother.

"Guess what, Mama." Quinn asked as she breathed in her mother's scent.

"What?"

"Aunt Shel says that this bedroom is mine for keeps. Just like Kurt's upstairs. She said I get to decorate it and everything. Isn't that awesome?"

Judy smiled. Her little girl had been through a lot in the last year. So much, in fact, that she had feared that it would have a continuous negative impact on her, especially after Frannie had disappeared on them. But having Shelby, Rachel, and Beth in their lives had helped.

"That is awesome, Quinn. Very awesome."

The two stayed like that until Quinn fell asleep. Judy laid her on her stomach and covered her up, kissing her head before she went downstairs where Shelby was waiting on her.

Judy wrapped her arms around Shelby in a hug before she walked to the door. A hug that Shelby instantly returned.

"Thank you, Shelby. Thank you so much for caring that much about my daughter."

"And thank you, Judy, for doing the same for mine."

Both women smiled. They really did have the perfect family, even if it was unconventional.

**-HalloweenHorrors-**

The next morning, Shelby stood in front of Mr. Warner's home with three sullen children. Rachel was actually hiding behind her legs, silently begging her mother not to make her clean up the mess in the warlock's yard.

Shelby had to repress her anger when she looked at the old man's yard. There were egg shells and toilet paper everywhere. Her three had helped create this mess. What in the world had been going through their minds when they had done this to make them think that it was okay?

She had come armed with trash bags, buckets, soap, and wash clothes. She was going to supervise while the little Halloween horrors cleaned up the mess.

But first, they had to apologize to Mr. Warner.

Shelby knocked on the door, causing Quinn and Kurt to try and hide behind her like Rachel was doing. Rachel actually have her entire arm wrapped around the top of Shelby's thigh, throw her legs. It was a stance that Rachel often took when she was nervous or scared.

"Mommy, he isn't home, let's go." Rachel said, tugging on her mother's shirt with her free hand from behind.

"Stop, Rachel. We are not going anywhere." Shelby said as the door opened.

As the door opened, an old, balding man who was at least a head shorter than Shelby and wearing khaki slacks held up by a pair of pumpkin suspenders over a white long sleeve t-shirt all assembled with a walking cane, walked out two steps.

"May I help you?" The man asked.

"Mr. Warner, good morning. I am Shelby Corcoran and I live two streets over from you. These heathens," Shelby pushed Kurt and Quinn forward and then untangled Rachel from her leg and pushed her up as well, "are Kurt," she pointed the young boy out, "Quinn," she held her hand above Quinn's head, "and Rachel," she pulled Rachel back from behind her legs again and stood the nine year old directly in front of her, "these three helped make the mess that your yard is today last night. They are here to apologize, and then they are going to clean it up while I watch."

Shelby nudged the three in front of her, and it really didn't surprise her when Rachel was finally the one who spoke up.

She took a big, deep, dramatic breath, (causing Shelby to roll her eyes) and said, "Mr. Warlock, we are sorry that we believed that you were scary and threw eggs and toilet paper at your house. My Mommy was really mad and even spanked us last night, so if you would not cast any spells on us, that would be totally awesome."

"Rachel Corcoran!" Shelby hissed. She only stopped when the little old man burst into laughter and leaned against the doorframe to support himself.

"My word, little girl. You are a hoot. I think if your mother doesn't mind, I might just pull out my lawn chair and visit while you clean. It isn't often I get visitors."

Shelby smiled.

"Mr. Warner, I would love to visit with you while we supervise the cleanup crew."

For the next two hours, Shelby and Mr. Warner visited. Shelby discovered that the man had lost his wife several years before and their only child, a daughter, had been killed in a car accident a year later. He had no other family, so he pretty much stayed to himself, leaving to buy groceries and play bingo every Thursday.

In the middle of their talking, Rachel came over and leaned against Mr. Warner's chair and looked at him for a few moments until he finally spoke.

"May I help you, Miss. Rachel?"

Rachel giggled at being called Miss. Rachel.

"Mr. Warlock, the policeman that took us to my mom last night said that when this happened, it hurt your feelings. Did it?"

Mr. Warner looked into the dark caramel orbs of the nine year old beside him.

"Yes, I suppose it did hurt my feelings a little bit, Miss. Rachel."

Tears welled up in Rachel's eyes, but she never removed them from his.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Warlock. You aren't scary at all. You are really nice. I am sorry that we hurt your feelings. We won't ever do it again."

Mr. Warner smiled and patted her head.

"That means a lot to me, Miss. Rachel."

Rachel smiled through her tears and threw her arms around the man's neck.

Shelby had to bite back her own tears when Mr. Warner shed one of his own as her daughter, the little girl who was so mischievous and into everything but had a heart of gold, hugged him.

"You are a good girl, Miss. Rachel. Never let anyone tell you different."

Rachel smiled at him, and then ran off to finish cleaning the yard up.

"You have a fine little girl there, Ms. Corcoran."

Shelby smiled. She knew that.

In the years to come, Mr. 'Warlock' was visited often by one Miss. Rachel often, especially on Halloween, when the two would sit out on his front porch and hand out candy to little kids. Rachel wanted to make sure that Mr. Warlock's feelings were never hurt again. Ever…

* * *

**AN: And, The End:) I hope everyone enjoyed this little story. It shows some of the beginning of the One Step universe. There will probably be more in the future at some point. **

**Let me know what you think:)**


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